It’s hard to believe that the summer season has come and gone and suddenly it is September already. Well, Summer hasn’t exactly left us, as we are still very much feeling her blazing presence, but the leisure time, the vacation time she brings along has long since gone. Having been awarded an extra day of freedom from my labors this weekend, I decided to grant myself a little digital vacation time. Wandering through photographs from our recent coastal adventure, I got lost in the fascination of exploring tiny worlds through the lens of a camera.
Tag: Wildflowers
September
In these desert parts, September is still very much a summer month. And while the shops are inundated with all things Halloween and Thanskgiving, and the foodie realm is flooded with all the autumn flavors, it is still 100 degrees outside and the swamp cooler still a daily necessity around here. But if you are really attentive you can feel that subtle seasonal transition beginning. It is almost imperceptible, but it’s there. That September shift is in the air.
This Land
I have never been one to express strong political views or overtly display my patriotic colors, but there is this song that I really love and I always find it especially poignant on Independence Day. You know that Woody Guthrie tune…
This land is your land, this land is my landFrom California to the New York island;From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters:This land was made for you and me.
Changing Direction
Well, I don’t know how it happened, but summer is in full swing, it seems. For many months now, I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this “Summer Break” I had carefully planned for myself this year. I have been longing for and looking forward to a lazy summer schedule with an abundance of free time, trips to take, projects to make and some serious catching up to do. Then suddenly it occurred to me that this precious summer time of mine has come and is already slipping through my grasp. With me, it always seems the best-laid plans never quite turn out the way I expect. I tend to be the flexible one in life, always willing to accommodate, usually able to rearrange, happy to change my plans for the sake of seemingly more important priorities. Sometimes I think the universe knows this about me and intentionally takes advantage of my flexible nature. This is not necessarily a bad thing, for I have grown to adore and look forward to those delightful little discoveries that so often accompany an unexpected change in direction.
Fleeting Moments
I find it hard to believe that the month of April has now found itself halfway to gone. It is only mid April and it is already mid April at the same time. I encounter this time warp thing again and again, yet it still manages to astound me. While it seems to me that spring has only just made its arrival, those moments of seasonal bliss are already beginning to fade. It is a busy time in this life cycle of mine. Spring Break has come and gone, the kiddos are back to school in full-force, eager to finish up the school year and get to movin’ on. With so many To-Do’s to tend to, it is certainly not a time for blogging. It is not the time for photo-taking or fancy food-making or collecting of beautiful moments. I should be in work mode, yet I find myself feeling a little cooped up, distracted and needing a little pause to enjoy these beautiful fleeting moments.
Reprieve
Spring is by far my favorite season in this little corner of the world. It is a fleeting, magical time as the desert literally explodes with life and color. But it is also the busiest time in my yearly work cycle and I find myself constantly pulled in two directions. It’s a dilemma. While I long to be outdoors witnessing as this seemingly lifeless landscape begins a new cycle of rebirth, I need to be indoors preparing to send yet another crew of wee ones out into that Big Kid world. Thank goodness for Spring Break.
Walk a Little
I sent my favorite explorer out adventuring all by his lonesome this weekend so I could try to get some chores done at home. It’s been one of those busy times lately. You know, the need-to’s and the should-do’s piling up, work projects and deadlines making themselves the priority and playtime taking a back seat to it all. You’d think I would long to explore a bit more and seek a little solace in the great outdoors, and it’s true I do. But sometimes a girl just needs a day at home, alone, to get her chores done. When life gets all hectic and harrowed, my head and my home become cluttered with chaos to the point where I begin to feel desperate for even just the tiniest bit of clear space. Whenever I get to that point, I always hear this song playing in my head.
I think it’s time to put myself away,seek out a little silence,close the doors and sit awhile
and walk a little…
Hidden Dunes
Somewhere between finding my balance and tyring to take it all in stride, I managed to neglect sharing one of the most beautiful, calming and peaceful time-outs I have experienced as of late. Sitting on a desert dune in the golden glow of the setting sun, bare toes buried in the cool singing sands, I literally sat and watched Time slip through my hands as tiny grains of sand fell between my fingertips. Time is precious and I do so hate to waste it. But surely there is nothing wasted in those moments of quiet awe, holding a world of wonder in the palm of your hand.
A Little Prince, A Little Star
I have a favorite book. We all do, I’m sure. Mine is called The Little Prince by Antione De Saint Exupery, you probably know it. I never tire of the wisdom contained in that one little story. You know, the kinds of insights we grown-ups collect from those precious little people in our lives.
“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.”
…that kind of stuff. The kind of stuff that gives you cause to pause and consider the little things in life, that really, when you think about it, are not that small after all.
Finding Balance
There are so many things I love about this time of year. The sunlight is beautiful, the temperature is perfect, butterflies flutter about in the breeze and the desert floor is covered in a colorful carpet of wildflowers. And Spring Break. Oh, how I look forward to that little reprieve and that relaxing of the schedule. Hikes with the hubby, days out with the dogs, chasing butterflies and hunting wildflowers. These are the things I look forward to with childish delight as spring fever runs rampant and that blessed bit of time approaches. Time for thinking, time for breathing, time for reconnecting with myself and my space. Time for finding my balance.
Seek a Little Solace 